Innovation and Guinness

A Post Hizzoner Would Have Found Interesting

I thought Guinness was just a great beer with a long history. Apparently it is a company steeped in innovation going back 100s of years. To attract and keep the best talent, they offered company benefits that today would be considered cutting edge by companies like Google. Only they started this 100s of years ago.

The key to Guinness’ robustness has been innovation. Through a series of key innovations, Guinness was able to stay on top despite (among other things) a famine, mass emigration, two World Wars, a civil war, and the changeover from British to sovereign rule. Guinness is responsible for changes in workplace relations, several foundational advances in the physics of brewing, and even the famous Student’s t-test in statistics. Indeed, Guinness has been one of the key drivers of innovation in Ireland.

And it all started in 1759 with a 9,000 year lease on the property.

H/T to David Foster of Chicago Boyz

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

By lex, on March 17th, 2011

Tabhair póg dom, is Éireannach mé!

Pionta Guinness, le do thoil.

Back To The Index 

 

 

Tip of the Hat to Buck Pennington

On our return to Casa De Sharon y Glenn, we stopped by the Vineyard on MCB Camp Pendleton. Among other things, I procured a couple of See Gars.
The Guinness was purchased shortly after leaving the gathering at Shakespeare’s.
The Missus said to maintain the same thing.
Buck Pennington gave me the idea to have a cigar, so I did.

Tonight I enjoyed both on the Verandah at Casa de Sharon y Glenn in California City.

Off to Mystic, Connecticut this weekend.

I’ll be winging my way to the great New England area and Mystic, Connecticut.

I’ll be leaving the Chi tomorrow morning and arriving in the early afternoon.

I may be going to the New England Air Museum and later to the Quonset Air Museum with pictures to follow in a future post.

Sunday at noon will be the Lexican meetup at the Harp and Hound located at 4 Pearl Street in Mystic CT 06355.

If you’re going to be in the area I look forward to seeing you.

*UPDATED* CANCELLED This weekend, Chicago Lexicans Meetup.

With apologizes for the update this close, we’re still on for a Chicago Lexicans meetup. Saturday November 17 @ 1900 @ The Green Lady (located 3328 North Lincoln Avenue Chicago, IL 60657).

Please send me an email: themavf14d@gmail.com if you’re still intersted in attending.

oh and Guinness is on tap.

I’m cancelling this weekend. For various reasons will wait till after the beginning of the year.

The Last Rose of Summer

This was mentioned in comments at TDL yesterday and I felt it deserved more attention.  Our beloved Marianne Matthews – has passed.  Reported by Maggie’s Farm this past Friday, it seems that Marianne died about a month ago.

Marianne was, so often at least to me, the heart & soul of the Lex Community.  She was incredibly well-educated at a time when women didn’t go to college; she held several high-powered jobs in publishing.  Her first fiance was killed in WWII and I don’t believe she ever shared more than that about him.  She never had children yet – she was a mother-figure to so many of us.

I had been exchanging emails with her in the months since we lost our Beloved Lex and the last note I had from her indicated she was having some health troubles.  She never specified what – which was like her of course.  And in that last e-mail she did, as always, talk about politics and her concerns for our country.

A patriot to the last.

Her husband – Downs – is 87 and now in a nursing home.

By all means, go to the link for Maggie’s Farm. They have an audio recording of a folk song that Marianne performed back in the 1950s – the title of which is the title of this post; I didn’t know this but she was quite a prominent folk singer in the 1940s/1950s.  I was listening to it as I typed this and her voice – so pure and sweet – told me she is with her Lord … and with Lex.

Raise your glasses to this great lady – for strength, for courage, for love.  I will raise a glass of Woodfords Reserve bourbon – which I know she would have done for Lex.

Godspeed Marianne.  You were a wondrous spirit to have known.